SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — The CDC has released a new update regarding the COVID-19 vaccine by dropping their universal recommendation and requiring informed consent discussions between patients and healthcare providers before vaccination.
The policy change means that, instead of having the convenience of getting vaccinated for COVID-19 at local pharmacies, patients will need to talk to their doctor about the benefits and risks first. In a statement released Monday by the CDC, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill wrote: “Informed consent is back…CDC’s 2022 blanket recommendation for perpetual COVID-19 boosters deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination for the individual patient or parent. That changes today.”
Dr. John Kelley, a pediatrician at Redwood Pediatrics, expressed concern that the policy change could create obstacles for patients seeking vaccination. “The problem with that is it’s going to bring up a blockage of ability for people to get the vaccine,” Kelley said…